Konami's Msx Legacy
Konami's Msx Legacy

Author: Wim Dewijngaert

Publisher:

Published: 2018-11

Total Pages: 840

ISBN-13: 9781644673522

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It's hard to imagine, but at the beginning of the eighties, the PC had yet to be invented. If you wanted to create software or play video games, you had to buy a machine called a 'home computer'. Unfortunately, each manufacturer released its own hardware, with its own (incompatible) software. Microsoft and ASCII Corporation Japan wanted to do something about this and invented a standard called MSX (which is short for Microsoft eXtended or Machines with Software eXchangeability - depending on who you ask). The specificationsdescribed a set of minimal software and hardware a machine should have in order to be considered MSX compatible. The ColecoVision, Sega SG-1000 video game system and the Spectravideo SV-318/328 were used as a source of inspiration. The first MSX compatible computer was officially released in 1983. Almost every well known electronics manufacturer jumped on the bandwagon and put its own machines on the market, including Sony, Philips, Yamaha, Pioneer and Sanyo, among many others. However, most companies stayed out of the USA, where the Commodore 64 was dominating at that time.The MSX spawned four generations: MSX, MSX2 (1985), MSX2+ (1988), and MSX turboR (1990). Each version of the MSX standard was downwards compatible with the previous one, but added a faster processor or better graphical capabilities. Using the MSX cartridge system, manufacturers could add modems, MIDI interfaces, touch tablets or sound cards. Several artists composed their music using an MSX at that time. A Sony MSX2 was used as a broadcast video workstation on board at the MIR space station. In total, about over 5 million MSX computers were sold in Japan alone. While not as much as the Commodore 64, this was far more than most other home computers available at that time. However, the MSX never became a worldwide standard, mainlybecause the machines arrived too late in an already saturated market. The MSX was one of the major platforms on which big Japanese game studios, such as Konami, released their games. Some of Konami's most popular titles debuted on the MSX, and its software is considered to be the highest quality available. In the current retro game business, Konami's MSX games are on many people's most wanted list. Rare cartridges, like the Word Processing Unit, are sold for more than $1,500, making the MSX one of the most valuable retro computers on eBay. This book provides an overview of all the hardware and software released by Konami on the MSX, including comparisons, screenshots, tips, tricks, facts and figures.

The Troop
The Troop

Author: Nick Cutter

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2014-02-25

Total Pages: 464

ISBN-13: 1476717753

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WINNER OF THE JAMES HERBERT AWARD FOR HORROR WRITING “The Troop scared the hell out of me, and I couldn’t put it down. This is old-school horror at its best.” —Stephen King Once every year, Scoutmaster Tim Riggs leads a troop of boys into the Canadian wilderness for a weekend camping trip—a tradition as comforting and reliable as a good ghost story around a roaring bonfire. But when an unexpected intruder stumbles upon their campsite—shockingly thin, disturbingly pale, and voraciously hungry—Tim and the boys are exposed to something far more frightening than any tale of terror. The human carrier of a bioengineered nightmare. A horror that spreads faster than fear. A harrowing struggle for survival with no escape from the elements, the infected…or one another. Part Lord of the Flies, part 28 Days Later—and all-consuming—this tightly written, edge-of-your-seat thriller takes you deep into the heart of darkness, where fear feeds on sanity…and terror hungers for more.

The Red Queen among Organizations
The Red Queen among Organizations

Author: William P. Barnett

Publisher: Princeton University Press

Published: 2016-08-02

Total Pages: 295

ISBN-13: 0691173680

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There's a scene in Lewis Carroll's Through the Looking Glass in which the Red Queen, having just led a chase with Alice in which neither seems to have moved from the spot where they began, explains to the perplexed girl: "It takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place." Evolutionary biologists have used this scene to illustrate the evolutionary arms race among competing species. William Barnett argues that a similar dynamic is at work when organizations compete, shaping how firms and industries evolve over time. Barnett examines the effects--and unforeseen perils--of competing and winning. He takes a fascinating, in-depth look at two of the most competitive industries--computer manufacturing and commercial banking--and derives some startling conclusions. Organizations that survive competition become stronger competitors--but only in the market contexts in which they succeed. Barnett shows how managers may think their experience will help them thrive in new markets and conditions, when in fact the opposite is likely to be the case. He finds that an organization's competitiveness at any given moment hinges on the organization's historical experience. Through Red Queen competition, weaker competitors fail, or they learn and adapt. This in turn heightens the intensity of competition and further strengthens survivors in an ever-evolving dynamic. Written by a leading organizational theorist, The Red Queen among Organizations challenges the prevailing wisdom about competition, revealing it to be a force that can make--and break--even the most successful organization.

Max and the Midknights
Max and the Midknights

Author: Lincoln Peirce

Publisher: Crown Books for Young Readers

Published: 2019-01-08

Total Pages: 288

ISBN-13: 1101931108

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NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING SERIES • Join Max's quest to become a knight in this laugh-filled, New York Times bestselling adventure from the author of the Big Nate series! "Max is epic fun!" --JEFF KINNEY, New York Times bestselling author of the DIARY OF A WIMPY KID series Max wants to be a knight! Too bad that dream is about as likely as finding a friendly dragon. But when Max's uncle Budrick is kidnapped by the cruel King Gastley, Max has to act...and fast! Joined by a band of brave adventurers--the Midknights--Max sets out on a thrilling quest: to save Uncle Budrick and restore the realm of Byjovia to its former high spirits! Magic and (mis)adventures abound in this hilarious illustrated novel from the New York Times bestselling creator of the Big Nate series, Lincoln Peirce. "Fantastic! I loved it!" --DAV PILKEY, New York Times bestselling author of the DOG MAN series

Computational Geometry
Computational Geometry

Author: Franco P. Preparata

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2012-12-06

Total Pages: 413

ISBN-13: 1461210984

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From the reviews: "This book offers a coherent treatment, at the graduate textbook level, of the field that has come to be known in the last decade or so as computational geometry. ... ... The book is well organized and lucidly written; a timely contribution by two founders of the field. It clearly demonstrates that computational geometry in the plane is now a fairly well-understood branch of computer science and mathematics. It also points the way to the solution of the more challenging problems in dimensions higher than two." #Mathematical Reviews#1 "... This remarkable book is a comprehensive and systematic study on research results obtained especially in the last ten years. The very clear presentation concentrates on basic ideas, fundamental combinatorial structures, and crucial algorithmic techniques. The plenty of results is clever organized following these guidelines and within the framework of some detailed case studies. A large number of figures and examples also aid the understanding of the material. Therefore, it can be highly recommended as an early graduate text but it should prove also to be essential to researchers and professionals in applied fields of computer-aided design, computer graphics, and robotics." #Biometrical Journal#2

Fusion-C
Fusion-C

Author: Fernando Garcia

Publisher:

Published: 2018-12-31

Total Pages: 285

ISBN-13: 9781730828614

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Fusion-C is a FREE C library. With FUSION-C you will be able to code games or any other softwares for the MSX computers, in C, as easy as a cup of tea !The library is compatible for MSX1, MSX2, MSX2+, and MSX Turbo-R and can take advantage of the hardware of each model.All aspects of MSX are covered by FUSION-C, allowing easy programming of MSX specificities.- Graphics, Sprites, Drawings, Video RAM...- Sounds with PSG, Sound FX Player, PT3 Music Player ... - Memory Management and Memory Mapper- File management, reading, writing, folders ...and many other routines and functions... This book will allow you to install and use a free tools chain, allowing you to easily program with FUSION-C. Automate the compilation of programs, and test them on an MSX emulatorAll C and FUSION-C commands are described, and a C 'memento' will teach to beginners how to start coding in C language. Also the technical aspects of the MSX standard are detailed to give you every chance to succeed in your projects.Content of the Book:What is « FUSION-C » Installing the Tools ChainStep 1 - Download filesStep 2 - Setting your working folderStep 3 - Installing Sublime TextStep 4 - Installing Hex2binStep 5 - Installing Open MSX EmulatorStep 6 - Installing SDCC packageStep 7 - Customize the SDCC Default LibraryStep 8 - Customize the Compilation script ( Optional )Start your first compilationExample of a C programExample of our working environment. Content of the FUSION-C library : MSX FUSION [ MSX_FUSION.H ], Console Functions, Miscellaneous Functions, Joystick Functions, Keyboard Functions, I/O Port Functions, Type Functions, String, Functions, Memory Functions, Interrupt Functions, PSG Functions, MSX-DOS File I/O Functions, MSX-DOS Functions, Turbo-r Functions, File I/O [ IO.H ], MSX1 GRAPHICS [VDP_GRAPH1.H], MSX2 GRAPHICS [vdp_graph2.h], SPRITES [vdp_SPRITES.h], CIRCLE [VDP_CIRCLE], MSX-DOS 2 RAM MAPPER [RAMMAPPER.H], PSG [PSG.H], AYFX PLAYER [ayfx_player.h], MUSIC PT3 REPLAYER [PT3REPLAYER.H], MSX BASIC VS Fusion-C, The Library's source code, The C standard functions, CTYPE.H, MATH.H, STDLIB.H, STRING.H, TIME.H, STDARG.H, Adding Assembler source code inside your C program, Use command line arguments with your program, Technical information about MSX & MSX2, MSX Models summary, MSX 1 video screen modes, MSX 2 video screen modes, MSX2 screen Map and Vram To Vram Copy, Screen mode Maps, Vram to Vram copy, The Sprites, The MSX Cartridges and rom mapper, MSX Ram Memory Mapper, MSX-DOS Operating System, MSX DOS Memory map, Memento about C language.